Thursday, December 29, 2011

Those who have left us in 2011

Comic book artist Joe Simon, who created Captain America with the late Jack Kirby, died at age 98 on Dec. 14, 2011

Actor Harry Morgan, known for portraying Colonel
Sherman T. Potter in "M*A*S*H" and Detective Bill Gannon in "Dragnet,"
died at the age of 96 on Dec. 7, 2011.

"The Family Circus"
creator Bil Keane, whose kid-friendly comic strip gave readers a funny
version of his own life at home and became one of the most widely
syndicated cartoon panels in the world, has died at age 89.

Former heavyweight
World boxing champion Joe Frazier died in Philadelphia a month after
being diagnosed with liver cancer. He died at the age of 67 years old on
Monday, Nov. 7.

Steve Jobs shows off
the new Macbook Air ultra portable laptop during his keynote speech at
the MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco.

Dolores Hope, who
throughout her 69-year marriage to comedian Bob Hope oversaw their
charitable giving and played a key role in establishing the Eisenhower
Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, died at her home in Toluca Lake. She
was 102.

Cliff Robertson, who
starred as John F. Kennedy in a 1963 World War II drama and later won
an Academy Award for his role in "Charly," died on Sept. 10, one day
after his 88th birthday.

Television genius,
Sherwood Schwartz, the man who created "The Brady Bunch" and "Gilligan's
Island", died at the age of 94. (Reuters)

'Columbo' actor
Peter Falk died June 23. Falk won four Emmys for his portrayal of the
detective sporting his signature overcoat. He also received two Academy
Award nominations during his long acting career. Falk was 83.

Actor James Arness
died June 3, 2011. At 6' 7", he towered over his co-stars on the show
"Gunsmoke" where he played Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years. Arness was
83.

"Grease" and "Taxi" actor Jeff Conaway died on May 27 in Encino, California. He was 60.

Jackie Cooper, who
came to prominence as a child star in the 1930s and went on to develop a
long career as a director and character actor, died on May 3 in Beverly
Hills. He was 88.

Michael Sarrazin, a
tall, dark-eyed Canadian actor who starred opposite Jane Fonda in Sydney
Pollack's 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?", died of cancer on
April 17 at a Montreal hospital. He was 70.

American Film Institute "Female Legend" and three-time Academy Award-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor died March 23. She was 79.

British actor
Michael Gough, probably most well known for his role as butler Alfred
Pennyworth in the Batman movies of the late '80s and early '90s, died on
March 17. He was 94.

In this August 1978 file photo, CBS News producer and correspondent
Andrew Rooney poses for photos in his New York office. Former "60
Minutes" commentator Andy Rooney died on November 5, 2011, about six
weeks after retiring, at age 92.

This Nov.8,2006, file photo supplied by Warner Home Video shows actress
Anne Francis posing with Robby the Robot at a screening to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of the film, "Forbidden Planet," in Los Angeles.
Francis, who was the love interest in the 1950s science-fiction classic
"Forbidden Planet" and later was sexy private eye Honey West" on TV,
died on January 3, 2011. She was 80.

Gerry Rafferty, the Scottish singer-songwriter
behind hit songs "Baker Street" and "Stuck in the Middle With
You," died on January 4, 2011. He was 63.

This file photo taken May 9, 1996, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los
Angeles actor and director David Nelson poses with his grandson Michael
Woolery and family friend Ashley Holt as he is honored with the 2,065th
star. Nelson, who starred on his parents' popular television show, "The
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet " died in Los Angeles Monday. He was 74.

Physical fitness expert Jack LaLanne strikes a characteristic
pose as he takes the first official step on his star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame, and his 88th birthday. LaLanne passed away at the age 96
on January 23, 2011 from respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

In this 1968 film publicity image originally released by Embassy
Pictures, Kenneth Mars portrays a Hitler-worshipping playwright in a
scene from "The Producers." Mars died Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, of
pancreatic cancer at his home in Grenada Hills, Calif. He was 75.

In this April 25, 2005 file photo, actress Jane Russell arrives for the
premiere of "XXX: State of the Union," in the Westwood section of Los
Angeles. A family member on Monday, Feb. 28, 2011 said Russell, stunning
star of 1940s and 1950s films, has died at age 89.